Related papers: Mis\`ere-play Hackenbush Sprigs
The spectrum of a stable rank 2 vector bundle $E$ with $c_1 = 0$ on the projective 3-space is a finite sequence of positive integers $s(0)$, ..., $s(m)$ characterizing the Hilbert function of the graded $H^1$-module of $E$ in negative…
A combinatorial game is a two-player game without hidden information or chance elements. One of the major approaches to analyzing games in combinatorial game theory is to break down a given game position into a disjunctive sum of multiple…
Presently there is preliminary observational evidence that the cosmological constant might be non zero, and hence that our Universe is eternally accelerating (de Sitter). This poses fundamental problems for string theory, since a scattering…
An antimagic labeling a connected graph $G$ is a bijection from the set of edges $E(G)$ to $\{1,2,\dots,|E(G)|\}$ such that all vertex sums are pairwise distinct, where the vertex sum at vertex $v$ is the sum of the labels assigned to edges…
We introduce the concept of disjunctive sum of squares for certifying nonnegativity of polynomials. Unlike the popular sum of squares approach where nonnegativity is certified by a single algebraic identity, the disjunctive sum of squares…
Combinatorial Game Theory is a branch of mathematics and theoretical computer science that studies sequential 2-player games with perfect information. Normal play is the convention where a player who cannot move loses. Here, we generalize…
An optical equation for null strings is derived. The equation is similar to Sachs' optical equations for null geodesic congruences. The string optical equation is given in terms of a single complex scalar function $Z$, which is a…
We study the algorithmic complexity of Maker-Breaker games played on the edge sets of general graphs. We mainly consider the perfect matching game and the $H$-game. Maker wins if she claims the edges of a perfect matching in the first, and…
We deal with the fragment of modal logic consisting of implications of formulas built up from the variables and the constant `true' by conjunction and diamonds only. The weaker language allows one to interpret the diamonds as the uniform…
A nonzero rational number is called a cube sum if it is of form $a^3+b^3$ with $a,b\in \mathbb{Q}^\times$. In this paper, we prove that for any odd integer $k\geq 1$, there exist infinitely many cube-free odd integers $n$ with exactly $k$…
Given a graph G and an integer k, two players take turns coloring the vertices of G one by one using k colors so that neighboring vertices get different colors. The first player wins iff at the end of the game all the vertices of $G$ are…
Stanley's theorem establishes that for any finite graph $G$, the number $h_G(s)$ of magic labelings with magic sum $s$ can be expressed as a sum of two polynomials in $s$. However, determining the precise form of $h_G(s)$ is generally…
We consider a generalization of the classical game of $NIM$ called hypergraph $NIM$. Given a hypergraph $\cH$ on the ground set $V = \{1, \ldots, n\}$ of $n$ piles of stones, two players alternate in choosing a hyperedge $H \in \cH$ and…
Snake is a classic computer game, which has been around for decades. Based on this game, we study the game of Snake on arbitrary undirected graphs. A snake forms a simple path that has to move to an apple while avoiding colliding with…
We introduce a natural variant of the parallel chip-firing game, called the diffusion game. Chips are initially assigned to vertices of a graph. At every step, all vertices simultaneously send one chip to each neighbour with fewer chips. As…
We define an all-small ruleset, Bipass, within the framework of normal-play combinatorial games. A game is played on finite strips of black and white stones. Stones of different colors are swapped provided they do not bypass one of their…
For each positive integer $m$, the $m$th order harmonic numbers are given by $$H_n^{(m)}=\sum_{0<k\le n}\frac1{k^m}\ \ (n=0,1,2,\ldots).$$ We discover exact values of some series involving harmonic numbers of order not exceeding four. For…
We show that the twisted SL(2) skein algebra of a surface has a natural basis (the bracelets basis) that is positive, in the sense that the structure constants for multiplication are positive integers.
A zero-sum sequence over ${\mathbb Z}$ is a sequence with terms in ${\mathbb Z}$ that sum to $0$. It is called minimal if it does not contain a proper zero-sum subsequence. Consider a minimal zero-sum sequence over ${\mathbb Z}$ with…
Absolute combinatorial game theory was recently developed as a unifying tool for constructive/local game comparison (Larsson et al. 2018). The theory concerns {\em parental universes} of combinatorial games; standard closure properties are…